1995 850 Turbo - Difficult Turnover

jofinneg · Post by **jofinneg** » 15 Feb 2010, 10:05

I'm unsure how to classify this 'problem'.
The 850 wagon battery (bought in October) was very low (not yet dead) and couldn't manage to turn it over yesterday, so I charged it and drove around for 20 min or so. Started right up after that- no problem.

Well, this morning, same thing. Can't quite turn her over.

So I grabbed the battery from our spare 850 and dropped it in. Started w/o problem. I guess I'll check this evening for battery drain, but...

My real concern is that the wagon has always taken a couple extra rotations to start up. I'm not sure if it is related to the battery issue, but it seams to really labor before firing. We've owned 3 Volvos prior and this one just behaves differently on startup.

I'm not sure of the history with the Starter, Alternator, or Fuel Injectors, but 4 or 5 months ago, I completed a complete bottom- and top-end rebuild, including re-sleeving the cylinders, new bearings, rings, rebuilt head (I bought her with a blown head gasket)... the whole nine yards... a pain in the a**.

So, I guess I'm a little concerned with the engine behavior... and I'm open to any ideas or experiences if you have them.

Thanks,
John

Post by **kcodyjr** » 15 Feb 2010, 10:15

I'm hearing two separate problems;

1, a parasitic electrical load. Perhaps something keeps getting cycled overnight, like the radiator fan or air pump, or possibly a short, or possibly an aftermarket audio system?

2, those few extra cranks to start it, I'm assuming even on a freshly charged battery. More detail please? Hot/cold/either? Funny sounds?

- Kevin

Post by **jblackburn** » 15 Feb 2010, 10:34

^I agree. Something's draining the battery.

The taking a while to start up could be a leak in fuel pressure somewhere the bleeds out while the car is off. Before you start it next time after it's been sitting a while, try testing the fuel pressure at the end of the fuel rail. It should be ~40-ish PSI (or let out a good spray if you just push on the valve). If that's running down while the car is off, it has to build pressure back up before it can start again.